However, Port Otago chief executive Kevin Winders said even though the activity appeared to be encouraging, it was due to ongoing congestion in the shipping network rather than a return to normal operations.
Later in the week, there would probably be a period when there were no vessels in the port, Mr Winders said. There was a fair bit of disruption around container ships, he said.
The weekly cycle of arrivals and departures was expected to remain disrupted for some time and Mr Winders was among those watching and waiting for what the new year would bring for the shipping industry.
"They’re well off window, so we’ve got the Americas service and the Southeast Asia service turning up at the same time — typically they’d be a few days apart," Mr Winders said.
"We’ll just have to see how the year unfolds with shipping, and congestion in ports, mainly driven by what’s happening in the global economy, plus how everyone responds to Omicron, and the impact of that for the next six months."
